Tbh think a big part of getting more support from younger end is having a winning team on the pitch. There isn't the emotional attachment/loyalty to turn up every week and watch us lose regularly from those who haven't experienced us in our pomp. Hopefully we'll be able to address that next season, albeit at a lower level, and carry some new supporters back into SL with us.

That's a fair point Mat, though youngsters, much as they often pretend to be more individualistic, tend to follow their mates, just as kids always did. When something becomes 'sexy' it tends to attract extra people, for no other reason than because it is sort of fashionable and their mates like it. It's getting that initial jump..and, of course , you're right, then they have to be kept by the side doing reasonably well.

Do we still do the free season tickets to schools/local junior teams etc? That's how I got into going many moons since. Not only are you getting the kids (future fans, in the long run) through the gate but as you say Bulliac, someone's got ot bring them so you end up attracting parents who might not have come in the first place.

I happened to take my two girls (7 and 9 yr old) to the Hull match as their first ever match after they asked out of the blue to come with me as I was leaving the house on Sun.
Now, they spent a lot of the time watching Bullmans antics, and enjoyed watching the cheerleaders as they both do dancing, and both loved being bought a replica shirt, but crucially they both want to come back for our next game against Widnes they enjoyed it so much. They really enjoyed clapping along when we scored and the music and the atmosphere, Im guessing had their first game been one of our early season collapses they might not have wanted to return, but thankfully their first impression was excitement and a win.

Next year they want to come to some games and I know they wont care what league we're in, they just liked the excitement on the day, so hopefully with Bullman and the music celebrating more tries next year my girls might get hooked. I hadn't really appreciated it fully before, but what kids get hooked on at the match is totally different to what adults appreciate and first impressions really count I suspect in regards of that initial jump you talk about.

(Best thing is my wife is a cas fan but my girls now have Bulls kit before the cas t-shirts their mum is buying them later this week ahead of Wembley!! )

Also assuming the club doesn't make changes, aged 7 and 9 they will both for the next few years be entitled to a FREE season pass, plus a very cheap Away season pass if you need one.

Going back to the early days of SL, [ievery[/i season ticket got an equivalent junior ticket for free. I got three young people hooked on the game with those freebie tickets [two are still adult ticket buyers] so not sure whether it's a case of can they afford to do it, or can they afford[i not[/i to do it?

Agreed



Yes, I'll be looking at this for next year now....I hadnt even realised under 12's were free this season, I was ready to hand over some notes at the turnstiles when they told me they where free to get in! Excellent, and then club got sales of 2 replica tops, 2 baseball caps and some sweets! Everyones happy....apart maybe from their cas supporting mum, but shes happy enough with the Wembley trip on Sat anyway! (My 9yr old is going with us to Wembley but she'll now be wearing her new Bulls kit along with me )

I first took my son when he came home from his Primary School with a free ticket - given out by Joe Vagana!

I think he was about 7 at the time. He's 23 now and still goes - an adult season ticket holder who sits next to me in the main stand!

We really need to get back to that kind of thing.

Spot on.

I'm certainly no Peter Deakin, but one technique used was to get families with youngsters in, and then make it feel like a must-go for these youngsters. Bull Man's Parade, and all the rest. Big Joe (imagine what size HE looked to a 7 year old) handing out tickets. Party atmosphere. The kids loved it, they brought their parents of necessity, and everyone had a good time. That was I think the bare bones of it. - everyone sort of was made to feel part of a happy family.

I think that's right. It was a fun time, a happy time and a Bulls' match was a great place to be, even if we lost... For sure, success on the field helped - didn't it just, but it was always much more than just that. I know only too well that we've all been ground down with recent events over the last few years, but there are, at last, definite signs of an upward swing; the new owners; the plans for the future; the new signings et al. We're moving in the right direction and the mood around the place has had a significant improvement, can we reach that target and go back to the future?

Agree there Bulliac - still some more signings needed to complete the squad, but it looks like it's being worked on behind the scenes. So looking forward to next year hopefully:

No financial crisis hanging over the club
A decent sized squad
Jimmy getting the pride back in the shirt and full effort from the players
More wins
Some traditional Yorkshire derbies to look forward to - Fax and Fev
Some long weekends in Cumbria - cheaper than France or London

For me we hit the bottom a few months ago and are now starting to climb back - so if these things cannot bring some of the smiles back to the fans faces not sure what will - maybe beating the Rhinos in next years CC Final

To be honest NR, I loved the weekends in France and I'm sort of hoping they'll be down the bottom end and we can play them again over there next year - may well go again anyway, match or no match!

For the local derbies though, I think, if we can take a decent support on these matches, with many of them being on much smaller grounds than we've been used to in SL, not to mention crowds being generally thinner on the ground, we may well make up a good proportion of the total gate and create a really good atmosphere at quite a few of them - with a good run on the field it could be a bit like that season in the seventies, when we won promotion - and hopefully, at the end of it, who knows, with a bit of luck?

I must admit I don't get to many away games now, but we still seem to take a reasonable away following even by SL standards. So I am sure for many of the teams we will be playing next year getting a 1000 or so Bulls fans through the gate will be good extra income from them - say £20k. Seem to have gone off topic, but there are still more positive things around our sport than a handful of nutters

I thought RL didn't exist in the world of eurnosport. Oh sorry, it was a negative news item.